Silk Route

tawang means ‘chosen by horse’ and also as ‘golden celestial palace’

Nestled high up in the North-eastern Himalayan mountain ranges of Arunachal Pradesh is Tawang- the beautiful virgin land with breathtaking beauty encompassing everywhere you look around. It is also sometimes described as ‘The Hidden Paradise’ with some mesmerizing lakes, waterfalls, monasteries, dreamy mountain views, and above all the culture of the place.

History, religion and legends abound this heavenly place along with the scenic beauty of nature which is un-expressible in words. You can only feel it through your eyes and cherish those memories forever. The rows of pine trees clad in pure snow will leave an ever-lasting image in your memory. The blue skies with an occasional hint of cloud and the rays of light falling in the tranquil lakes encompassed with wild flowers makes the mind silent for a few moments and just regale in it.

Sometimes the mist hovering over the mountain ranges and the lakes provides the mesmerizing heavenly feeling. Situated at an elevation of 12000 feet the mountain ranges of Tawang can go up to as much as 22000 feet enveloped in snow for the entire year around. There are as many as 108 lakes surrounding this place, each having its own unique story by the locals.

Tawang also has its share of culture and mystic legends. The Tawang Monastery founded in 1681 at an elevation of 10000 feet is the oldest of all Tibetan monasteries outside Tibet. It is the largest Buddhist monastery in India housing more than 600 lamas and is just next to the famous Potala of Lhasa in size. Another interesting fact about this monastery is that the offering given to Buddha is Chocolates and Biscuits. This monastery was constructed in 1681 by the blessings of the fifth Dalai Lama. The sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso was born in tawang.

There are quite a few nunneries here also. Tawang also hosts an annual Buddhism festival, during February-March popularly known as the Losar festival. The festival showcases the rich culture of the original inhabitants of Tawang valley, the Monpas.

A sacred mountain located in tawang is of Mount Gorichen. At 22500 feet Gorichen is one of the highest peaks in arunachal which remains snowbound for the entire year around. The peak is very sacred to the monpa tribe as they consider it abode of their sacred deity and is also known as tsa-nga-phu in Tibetan and also as ‘The Giant White Elephant’. There are quite a few unscaled peaks around here, so anyone can scale them and get it named after them.

There is a also a war memorial of the 1962 Indo-China war here. The memorial salutes thousands of Indian soldiers who died defending Tawang from the invading Chinese Army in 1962. Tawang is heavily militarised due to its closeness to the Indo-China border and has some heroic tales of bravery and wars.

On the way, very close to tawang is a place called Sela Pass, world’s second highest pass at 14000 feet, where tales of love and courage are woven. The beauty of this place cannot just be described in few words. Hanging ice cones from pine trees and the snow covered valley provides a mesmerizing sight. The beautiful Paradise Lake is also located here, which is considered a very sacred lake.

There is also quite a history of the place sela pass, which is named after a courageous mountain girl which I have posted in another article. An Indian soldier fought here single-handedly for 3 days with the Chinese during the Indo-China war. Read more in: Moment of Bravery.

Among the lakes, the PT TSO (Pankang Ten Tso) lake is very popular here for its amazing scenic beauty, along with the ‘Madhuri’ lake(org: Sangetser lake) named after madhuri dixit after the shooting of a bollywood film Koyla, is a rare gem hidden between the lofty hills; the orange and blue hues and the white reflections of the ice provides a mesmerizing sight all round, just 40 kms from the town near the Indo-Chinese border. It requires a special permit form the Indian army to visit madhuri lake and the Indo-China border which is nearby and both are ice frozen for almost the entire year.

The beauty of a place perhaps depends on its people also. The simple minded caring people add zeal to the place; there is no inequality between men and women perhaps a refreshing difference from the rest of India or the world. People here are from the monpa tribe practicing Buddhism. The maroon and yellow robe wearing monks abounding there, the prayer wheels, the sound of the bells and the Buddhist chants provide a mesmerizing rhythm and melody in the otherwise chilling cold weather.

Tawang is a paradise the beauty of which etches on to memory forever.

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